Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

flypop: Future Fund

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding FlyPop Ltd has received from the Future Fund; what due diligence they undertook, prior to awarding this funding, to ensure that the company complies with the requirement for the majority of its business to be based in the UK; whether the company has yet applied for the necessary UK AOC Licence; and if so, whether that licence has been granted.

Lord Callanan: The Department is unable to provide information relating to loan amounts for individual companies as this information is commercially sensitive for both investors and investee businesses.All investee companies were required to certify that they met the UK nationality criteria as part of the process of signing the Convertible Loan Agreement. Businesses provided details of their country of incorporation, UK Company registration number as well as the citizenship of company officers and an ownership structure chart or supporting documentation showing ultimate beneficial owners of the company. These details were checked as part of the eligibility checks carried out. As this particular business was pre-revenue and pre-operational at the time of application, these checks also satisfied the requirement that over half of employees should be UK-based or half of revenues should be from UK sales.Licensing is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority. A UK Air Operator Certificate has not been granted to this company to date.

Summertime

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the estimated energy savings that could be made by moving the UK to the GMT+2 hour time zone during the summer months, and to GMT+1 hour time zone for the rest of the year.

Lord Callanan: The Government has no plans to change the daylight-saving arrangements. The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK.

Forests: Conservation

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to spend the £1.5 billion of funding allocated under the Global Forest Finance pledge, including the (1) £350 million for tropical forests in Indonesia, (2) £200 millionfor the LEAF Coalition, and (3) up to £300 millionintended for the Amazon rainforest.

Lord Callanan: The Government is continuing to develop proposals for funding to Indonesia, the Amazon and other important regions, building on the UK’s existing partnerships in these areas. The UK’s investment in LEAF has helped bring other public and private funders on board, raising over £750m which will be used for technical assistance and carbon finance for developing countries.

Department of Health and Social Care

Palliative Care

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of support available for the (1) hospice, and (2) end-of-life, care sector, for core services in (a) England, and (b) Wales.

Lord Kamall: No specific assessment has been made. Palliative and end of life care services are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which are responsible for planning and commissioning high-quality, cost-effective services to meet the needs of local populations. Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing these services. NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed seven palliative and end of life care strategic clinical networks, working with CCGs to develop and implement sustainable commissioning models for palliative and end of life care.Palliative and end of life care service provision in Wales is a devolved matter.

Autism: Health Services

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of autism support services.

Lord Kamall: No specific assessment has been made. However, in 2021/22 we have invested £10.5 million to improve autism diagnostic and post-diagnostic pathways. In 2022/2023, we will develop guidance and support to embed effective post-diagnostic pathways.

Department for Education

Universities: Russia

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to introduce measures to encourage universities to take action against university academics who promote pro-Putin propaganda.

Baroness Barran: Alongside our allies, we are united in support for Ukraine.Universities, as independent and autonomous organisations, should decide whether to investigate such incidences.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the level of the current cap on pay-outs from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme compared to that for civilian claims, in cases where the NHS could meet all the medical rehabilitation needs, and (2) whether all medical rehabilitation needs under the Scheme can be met by the NHS.

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the absence of a “no fault” tariff in the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme disadvantages the level of payment made under the Scheme in contrast to negligence cases for personal injury; and whether they have considered this in determining future pay-outs from the scheme.

Baroness Goldie: The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) is a no-fault scheme and is therefore different from awards for damages paid through the courts. If an individual believes they have been injured as a result of negligence, having an AFCS award does not prevent them from bringing a claim through the common law damages route, although an AFCS award would be taken into account in the damages payment (or vice versa). This is in keeping with the longstanding principle that an individual should not be compensated twice for the same injury. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works closely with the NHS to ensure smooth transition in medical care when leaving service. In the majority of cases, the NHS are able to meet the need for successful rehabilitation. In cases where more specialist support is needed, bespoke MOD funding packages may be available.

Home Office

Motor Vehicles

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last reviewed the fees paid to Accident Vehicle Recovery Operators; when the next such review will take place; and what assessment they have made of the proportion of the fee that is received by the recovery operator rather than management companies.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office conducted a consultation from 17 May – 10 September 2021 to assess the current statutory fees and whether new levels of charges should be applied to the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles in England and Wales. These charges apply where the police, under various acts of road traffic legislation, have cause to remove or recover a vehicle illegally, dangerously or obstructively parked, broken down or abandoned. This also includes the removal of vehicles being driven anti-socially or without insurance or driving licence and if they are being used in unlawful trespass.We have now reviewed the statutory fees and are finalising arrangements to publish the Government Response to this consultation shortly.No assessment has been made of the proportion of the statutory charging fee that is received by the recovery operator rather than the management companies.The operation of recovery schemes and contracts used by the police and National Highways for vehicle recovery operations are matters between the police and individual recovery operators. The Government’s role is limited to setting the statutory charges which the Police and National Highways can levy when they have exercised their recovery powers.

Bail: Terrorism

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their position on the granting of pre-charge bail to terror suspects.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Individuals suspected of terrorism-related offences can be arrested under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) or the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT). Those arrested under TACT cannot be released on police bail, while those arrested under PACE must be bailed once the grounds for detention no longer apply.In the year to December 2021, of the 186 people arrested in Great Britain for terrorism-related activity, 32 people (17%) were arrested under section 41 TACT 2000 while 154 people (83%) were arrested under other legislation including PACE 1984.The Government considers that the current legislative framework provides an important flexibility, allowing the police to make an operational judgement on the circumstances of each case, and allowing them to decide whether or not to arrest under PACE or TACT.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Landlord and Tenant Act 1954

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which industry stakeholders they are engaging with to inform the scope and focus of the review of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954; and whether that review will give tenants equal consideration to landlords.

Lord Greenhalgh: Officials have engaged with business representative groups from both the landlord and tenant sectors to begin to understand the underlying issues arising from current commercial leasehold legislation that could be examined by a review of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Part II Once scope and format of the review have been announced, officials plan to conduct further engagement with stakeholders across the sector – including large and SME landlords and tenants, lenders, legal representatives, and academics – to better understand the issues under review. Further details will be announced in due course.

Landlord and Tenant Act 1954

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to undertake the review of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, announced in December 2021; and why that review has been delayed.

Lord Greenhalgh: We know there is concern that the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, part II, has not kept pace with today’s commercial property sector.   Government announced a review of the landlord and tenant legislation  in December 2020. The review will develop proposals for a framework that helps support the efficient, flexible use of space and supports high streets and town centres.   Over the last year, Government has prioritised developing an exit strategy from the moratorium on commercial evictions , and resolution of pandemic-related rent debt via the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act, which received Royal Assent on 24 March. Government recommitted to the review as part of the Build Back Better High Streets strategy in July 2021, and officials are currently engaging across the sector to inform the scope and focus of the review; further details will be announced in due course.Exit strategy from the moratorium on commercial ev (docx, 35.0KB)Build Back Better High Streets (pdf, 1881.0KB)Review of the landlord and tenant legislation (docx, 111.0KB)

Renewable Energy: Planning Permission

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fast-trackplanning processes for clean energy projects.

Lord Greenhalgh: As set out in the National Infrastructure Strategy, the delivery of high-quality national infrastructure, including clean energy projects, is a key priority for this Government. Through Project Speed, the Government has set the ambition that by September 2023, some projects will be able to go through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) process up to 50% faster. Later this year, the Government will consult on reforms to the National Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime which will support the improved delivery of green energy projects.   Underpinning these reforms is the Energy Secretary’s current review of the Energy National Policy Statements, which will reflect the policies and broader strategic approach set out in the Energy White Paper and ensure we continue to have a planning policy framework which can support the infrastructure required for the transition to net zero.   As set out in the Net Zero Strategy, we also intend to review the National Planning Policy Framework to make sure it contributes to climate change mitigation as fully as possible, and help bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Remote Working

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of departmental civil servants work (1) wholly, and (2) primarily, from home; and how these figures compare to those prior to March 2020.

Lord True: Since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, Civil Servants have increased their numbers in the office as steps have been taken to ensure offices are able to operate at full capacity as quickly as possible. In the Cabinet Office, for example, all of our core office buildings around the country are now operating again at full capacity and office occupancy in our HQ building is already back to pre-pandemic levels. The Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency is monitoring office occupancy levels across government and will support all Ministers in delivering their return to the workplace plans.

Defence: Civilians

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement (1) air raid sirens, or (2) civil defence systems, in the UK to provide an early warning signal for a nuclear attack.

Lord True: The Government does not plan to implement air raid sirens to provide an early warning signal for nuclear attack. Since April 1969, the Royal Navy has maintained continuous at sea deterrence, with at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine patrolling the seas undetected at all times, ready to respond to the most extreme threats to the UK, should they materialise.The Government is committed to ensuring the public receive advice about the risks to them and the actions they can take. As part of broad emergency response capabilities, arrangements are in place to warn and inform the public that an emergency has, or is about to, occur and the steps they should take in response. This is a locally based approach, supported as necessary, by national messaging from central government using a range of channels, including social and broadcast media. The Government has announced its intention to augment these existing arrangements with the launch of a mobile phone based emergency alerting system later this year.

Investigation into Alleged Gatherings on Government Premises during Covid Restrictions

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the full Sue Gray report into alleged gatherings on government premises during the period of COVID-19 restrictions.

Lord True: I refer the noble Lord to the Cabinet Office update from the Second Permanent Secretary which has been published on GOV.UK and placed in the Library of the House.It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment further while the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation is ongoing. At the end of the process, the Prime Minister will ask the Second Permanent Secretary to update her findings, which will be published in line with the Terms of Reference.

Department for International Trade

Exports: Businesses

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice on (1) language skills, and (2) cultural knowledge, the Export Support Service provides to UK businesses seeking to grow their export business.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Department for International Trade (DIT) publishes market guides on great.gov.uk to help companies do business in new markets, including advice on language and business culture. DIT’s specialist trade advisors worldwide also offer support to businesses seeking to grow in new markets. The Internationalisation Fund provides match funding to help small and medium sized enterprises overcome barriers to access new markets. This includes consultancy or other professional services for cultural and political advice, and translation services including website design, promotional materials and interpreter services. Funding is subject to availability within individual Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas and is accessed via DIT’s Regional Network of International Trade Advisors.

Iron and Steel: Exports

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to increase exports of steel.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Department for International Trade recently published our refreshed Export Strategy with an action-led 12-point plan. We have introduced a whole new range of support measures to help exporters thrive in the global market, internationalising key trading sectors, and raising the UK’s exporting culture in the long-term. Further to this, following two months of intensive discussions, the UK secured an expansive removal of Section 232 tariffs on UK steel and aluminium exports to the US on 22 March. The solution reached with the US is bespoke for the UK and reflects the needs and interests of our steel and aluminium industries.  From 1 June 2022, the US will replace its Section 232 tariffs on certain UK exports of steel and aluminium with “tariff-rate quotas” (TRQs). This re-opens tariff-free access to the US market back to levels before section 232 tariffs up to a specified volume. This will bring welcome relief to the UK steel and aluminium industries which support the jobs of around 80,000 people across the UK supply chain.